'Smoke-free offices aid in kicking the butt'

Over 60 per cent Indians stay away from smoking at home if they are prohibited to smoke at workplaces, a new study released here said.

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, published by Imperial College London and the Public Health Foundation of India, 64 per cent adults who are barred from smoking at work stay away from it at home as well.

The findings suggest that the implementation of smoke-free legislation in India may have resulted in substantial health benefits for the population, particularly for women and children.

“In India, there is good evidence that smoke-free laws in workplaces are associated with a reduction in second-hand smoke at home,” said John Tayu Lee, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, who led the study.

“The results support the idea of ‘norm spreading’, whereby restrictions on smoking in public places make it seem less acceptable to expose others to second-hand smoke, including at home,” said Christopher Millett, School of Public Health at Imperial College.